Dawn of hope
by Toa of Starlight
Summary: Given a power that she struggles to understand, a young matoran does her best to get her life under control - before someone else does instead.
1. Prologue

**So...real life happened. And I decided that this needed a rewrite. Sincere apologies to everyone who was reading and enjoying previous version, it got wiped by accident.**

Thick fog swirled around the small wattle and daub huts, preventing all but the smallest amounts of light to shine through. The rays that did make it through the fog were captured in carefully placed crystals to collect and reroute the much-needed illumination.

Takua bent down, carefully readjusting one of the crystals on the wall. Behind him, Solek shook his head.

"Give it up, Taka. There's no way you'll be able to light this murk."

"Lay off him, Solek," snapped the third member of their group, and the only female. "I don't blame him for wanting a little more than—this."

She gestured to the heavy mist that cloaked the village.

"Thanks, Shada," Takua replied, straightening up. "At this point, every little bit helps. What I wouldn't give to see the sky again!"

"I'd rather live in here and not see the sky than have to deal with those Avokah," Solek said.

"Unless you have something positive to contribute, Solek, please shut up," the female, Shadalaine, told him.

Solek made a noise like an angry cat and stormed off—as well as someone only a half a bio tall can.

"You going to go collect fruits?" Takau asked Shadalaine as they trotted off in the opposite direction?'

"That was my intention."

"Do you need any help?"

Shadalaine blinked at him.

"That would be appreciated very much," she said finally.

They were almost at the patch of high vines when the fog seemed to contract in on itself. There was a howl of wind that seemed to come from nowhere, and a tear opened in the air. A blast of light—then it stopped. The fog continued to drift on as though nothing had happened.

Shadalaine carefully opened her eyes, and, seeing no sign of danger, picked herself up from where she had fallen, tapping Takua on the shoulder.

"What in the name of the Great Spirit was that?" he demanded, scrambling up.

"I have no idea but I don't like it. C'mon, let's get back to the village."

"Not so fast, little matoran," came someone's voice from behind them.

Shadalaine whipped around, perfectly ready to run, and forgot her panic in the middle of gaping at the strangers that had, she assumed, stepped right out of the air. One was definitely a toa, but the other two… she had no idea what they were.

"I apologize for startling you," the toa said, stepping forwards. Dark blue armor marked her as a toa of water. "We weren't expecting anyone to be at the point where we appeared."

"I'll accept the apology if you explain who you are and what you think you're doing," Shadalaine snapped, backing away from them. Takua was tucked into her back, having not snapped out of his shock yet.

The toa exchanged a very odd look with one of her companions before looking back at the two matoran.

"My name is Helryx. The rather large being to my left is Brutaka, the one responsible for bringing us here. The being to my right is Botar. We need to talk to your village's leader."

"Not before you tell us why," Takua said from behind Shadalaine.

"It's none of your business," Botar began before Helryx cut him off.

"Hush," she snapped. "It is fine for them to know. You," she said, turning back to the matoran, "are in grave danger."

"How?"

"We will explain more later, but standing out here is a bad idea," Brutaka cut in. He sounded surprisingly gentle for being the approximate height of a tree. "The rocks have ears sometimes. Can we please go to your village?"

After a little more polite coaxing, the matoran relented, and proceeded to enjoy the sight of the village elders, K—, startled nearly out of his mask by the sudden appearance of three complete and very large strangers. That lasted until Helryx fully explained their errand, to be replaced by fear.

Apparently, a race known as the Makuta was beginning to gain power. They were made of shadow, literally, and only feared one thing, the possibility of a toa of light. The only beings who could become toa of light were Av-matoran. Therefore, to protect themselves, it was very likely that the Makuta would at some point attempt a genocide of the Av-matoran race.

"And you are telling us this why?" Kirop demanded.

"To convince you to let us help."

"What, exactly, are you proposing?"

Later, Kirop explained to the gathered matoran what Helryx wanted to do.

"Toa Helryx wants maybe a dozen volunteers to change their armor colour and pretend to be matoran of a different element. That way there will still be a chance that some of us might survive."

There was a pause as the matoran digested the information before he spoke again.

"Does anyone want to volunteer?"

"I will," Takua said after a moment.

"So will I," Shadalaine added, startling everyone, including herself.

"Are you sure?" Kirop asked. "I don't think you'll have the opportunity to rethink this if you go."

"I'm sure."

"Very well."

Helryx was indeed surprised when Shadalaine showed up in the group, but chuckled at the look the Av-matoran gave her.

"You'll need to change the color of your armor," the toa told them. "Make sure it matches the element that you want to be. Females, I'm afraid your choice is somewhat limited; females of any kind besides water, lightning, gravity, and sonics are considered somewhat rare."

After some decision-making, all had chosen. No duplicates had occurred, a good thing according to Helryx.

"This will make it harder to find you," she explained. "There are so many matoran in each element that it will be a pain for Makuta to try and find them all."

One by one, Brutaka took hold of the matoran and stepped through one of the strange tears in the air. At last, it was Takua's turn. The now red-and-gold matoran risked a last glance back at Shadalaine, grinning.

"See you," she called.

Takua waved before vanishing.

Shadalaine was the last too go. Walking through the portal with Brutaka was an intensely strange experience and she shuddered with the sudden intense cold.

Then—then—

White sand shores, a dark blue-green ocean lapping against it.

"Where are we?"

"Ga-Metru, the City of Metru Nui."

"The City of Legends?" Shadalaine glanced up at Brutaka in stunned surprise.

"Yes. Now, I'm very sorry but I need you to hold still for a moment."

Brutaka's hands descended to either side of her head, and everything went black.

"—you awake? Hey, wake up?"

Groggy blue eyes opened. There was a face about an inch away fopm her face.

"Yah!"

Startled, she jerked back, smacking into something hard.

"Good, we thought you were never going to wake up."

_We? We? Who is we? Where am I?_

A quick look around told her she was lying on a beach, waves lapping against it ten feet away. A blue-armored matoran was kneeling in front of her, practically nose to nose.

"Are you alright?" someone behind her asked. Shadalaine glanced back to find a tall blue-armored toa.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Shadalaine asked, panic making her voice crack and break.

"Shh, it's ok," the Toa murmured. "We'll go to the Turaga and get this sorted out. Everything's going to be fine."

**Please review! Tenth, twentieth, etc. reviewers can request a oneshot with their choice of pairing, setting and prompt. The only thing I won't write is slash.**

**Update: OK, people. Can someone please tell me what I'm doing wrong here? 64 people have looked at the first chapter, none at the 4th. Help!**


	2. Discovery

**Sorry I forgot to mention, but this is a reworking of canon that will become an AU later.**

* * *

77,000 years later

Shadalaine blinked into evening sunlight as she walked down the main street of Ga-metru, Vhisola by her side. The other matoran had been the first to find her, and Shadalaine had latched onto her from sheer instinct.  
She had never figured out what she was doing on the Ga-metru beach. Immediately after waking up, she was taken to see the Turaga who assigned her a home. Two weeks later Vhisola was explaining some basics about refining protodermis to her in a classroom.  
Fitting into this life was easy, but sometimes she would climb up onto her roof, watch the stars come out, and try to remember who she had been before she ended up on Ga-metru's main beach.  
"Hey! Are you even listening?"  
Shadalaine blinked, coming back to reality to find Vhisola staring at her.  
"Sorry. Just thinking."  
"Ah. So, I was asking you if you heard that sound too."  
"What sound?"  
"That funny whimpering." Vhisola pointed towards one of the deep channels through which protodermis ran. This one was dry at the moment. "I think it's coming from there. Want to go see?"  
"Umm, ok?"  
The two matoran trotted over to where the lip of the canal extended to the road and peered over. Puddles of protodermis still pooled in the very lowest areas, but for the most part the canal was dry. There was no sign of anything that could be whimpering.  
Vhisola shrugged.  
"Okay. Guess that I was wrong."  
Shadalaine frowned, then grabbed hold of the lip of the canal, dropped flat onto her stomach, and peered over the edge.  
Bright golden eyes stared back at her, and a loud chirp issued from the shadows. Shadalaine yelped and jerked back.  
"There is something under there," she told Vhisola. "Grab my leg, will you? I want to get it out."  
Vhisola gave her a strange look but complied. Shadalaine went flat onto her stomach, wiggled out so that she was halfway suspended over the canal, and made a blind grab for the thing she had seen. She yelped as several sharp points dug into her hands, and a yowl came out from under the lip.  
"Pull!" she yelled back at Vhisola. The other Ga-matoran did as she was told and pulled. Shadalaine wriggled backwards with the impetus and emerged completely, with a wriggling ball of fur in her hands.  
"What's that?" Vhisola asked, dropping her friend's legs. Shadalaine scrambled up, still keeping a firm grip on the wriggling thing.  
"A rahi—I think."  
The rahi uncoiled a little and snarled, clawing at Shadalaine's face. The matoran avoided the tiny claws and held the little thing at arm's length.  
"Looks like a baby Muaka almost," she remarked. "But this thing's adapted to water."  
The fur, what little there was, was already tightly packed on the creature's frame, and little fins ran along its back, neck and head.  
"Let's go show it to the archivists," Vhisola said. "Maybe it's a new species."  
There was no reply, and Vhisola turned to find that the rahi was now curled around Shadalaine's chest. It looked very young.  
"I guess," Shadalaine said slowly, glancing down. "Where to?"  
"Archives," Vhisola answered, heading off.

* * *

"I don't think we can take her," the Archivist said, examining the little rahi.  
The two Ga-matoran frowned at him, and Vhisola asked, "Why not?"  
"This little one's too young. The Archivists and others who study the contents of the Archives want to study adult specimens. I'd be willing to bet this rahi is less than a year old. Bring her back when she grows up, and then we'll take her."  
"Well-what do you want us to do with her then?" Shadalaine asked. "And how do you know it's a her, anyway?"  
"As for knowing she's a she, well, I figure it out the same way as we do with Muaka, and I'm not going to say any more than that," the Archivist told her. "As for what to do with her, put her back where you found her."  
"But the channel's going to be opened again any day," Shadalaine protested. The Archivist shrugged.  
"Dunno then. Not my responsibility to worry about balls of fluff. You deal with it. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go back to work."  
The two matoran stared after him for a moment, then Vhisola shrugged.  
"Oh well. I guess that's all we can do."  
She tried to scoop the little rahi up, only to be halted by a growl and the flash of tiny claws. Shadalaine picked the little creature up without any trouble whatsoever, and the rahi snuggled into her armor.  
"Actually..."  
"Oh you're not serious."  
"I am perfectly serious."  
"You don't even know how to care for an adult rahi, let alone a cub!"  
"I can learn."  
Vhisola stared at her friend, then sighed and crossed her arms.  
"Fine. But count me out!"  
"Very well," Shadalaine replied, already turning to go. "I will see you in class tomorrow."  
"Same to you."

**Please Review! Tenth, twentieth, etc. reviewers can request a oneshot with their choice of pairing, setting and prompt. The only thing I won't write is slash.**


	3. Adjustments Pt I

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle.**

**Also, I just realized that I hadn't put any warnings whatsoever up. So, before you read further, this fic will contain romance of the m/m variety, though nothing explicit, and mpreg, as well as torture. Chapters will be flagged. If you don't like, don't read. For more information go to my author page.**

* * *

Shadalaine had not been joking about keeping the rahi. After she left Vhisola, she headed towards the Great Library in Ga-metru. As she had predicted, there were books on how to raise a young rahi, and the necessary materials were not all that hard to find.  
Let's see, Shadalaine thought, glancing down at her list. Mix one part honey with five parts milk and place in bottle. Doesn't look too hard.

Famous last words.

Half a bottle of warm milk with honey later, the little rahi was still yowling with hunger and Shadalaine could have sworn that little monster had spit out twice as much as she had received.

"What do you want?" she wailed, out of patience, but received only soft cries in return. In desperation, she swiped her finger through the mix and offered it to the little rahi.

To her amazement, the creature considered the finger for a moment before lapping at it carefully, sharp little teeth grazing her. Realization hit, and Shadalaine clapped her hand over her eyes.

Of course. She's too young to understand how to suck.

Wondering again where the rahi's mother was, she scooped up the bundle into her lap, dipping her finger into the milk again and proferring it. The rahi licked it up eagerly.

"What should I call you?" she wondered out loud. "Tiny? Runt?"

The rahi squeaked, then sucked on her finger a little. Shadalaine picked up the abandoned bottle and smeared the nib with milk. The rahi licked at it, then sucked, first experimentally, then harder.

Shadalaine sighed with relief when the rahi finished, and made to stand up, but was stopped by a sharp squeak and the dig of tiny claws into armor.

"Don't want me to get up, do you?"

Another squeak, then a soft rumbling purr.

"Names," Shadalaine said again. "Let's see. I could call you something related to your species, but I don't even know what that is."  
She ran a finger along the little nose, noticing a little white marking on her face.

"Looks like a little diamond."

The purr grew louder.

"So you want me to call you Diamond, huh?"

A louder purr.

"Diamond it is."

A yawn.

"Time for you to go to bed."

At first, the rahi seemed to stay on the pillow Shadalaine left her on. At least, until around dawn, at which point something small and prickly crawled into the bed by her and would not leave, no matter how many times Shadalaine tried. Finally, she gave up, and got up, as it was already time to start the day.

Trying to leave little Diamond home didn't work either. Shadalaine tried, but two blocks down she hear a soft whine and glanced down into her bookbag to find a tiny head poking out. At that point, the matoran gave up.

Vhisola caught up to her in the school yard.

"So? What did you do with that little rahi?"

Shadalaine glanced around, making sure no one was looking, then opened her bookbag enough for a tiny nose to poke out. Vhisola's hand flew to her mouth.

"Are you crazy?" she hissed. "What if one of the teachers sees?"

"They won't, I hope. Besides, I want to have a word with Nokama about her anyway."

"You're crazy, girl."

"Maybe."

Shadalaine managed to get through most of her classes without any problems, until Diamond decided she was hungry right before the last class of the day and set up a whining yowl.

"Scrap," Shadalaine muttered, and hurried to Nokama's class. Luckily, the older matoran was alone, reading some papers, and glanced up as Shadalaine walked in.

"Is there a problem?"

"You might say that," Shadalaine replied, quickly scooping the rahi youngling out of her bookbag and setting her on the floor. "I have a puzzle for you, and I hoped you wouldn't mind if I borrowed your classroom for a couple of minutes."

"What's this?" Nokama asked, getting to her feet and picking up Diamond, who sent up a yowling protest.

"I found her in one of the canals yesterday," Shadalaine replied. "I was hoping you could tell me what she is."

"Looks like some kind of miniature Muaka," Nokama said, petting Diamond. "How cute!"

"Oh, she's a little menace," Shadaliaine replied, getting the bottle out. "So you don't know?"

"Not for certain." Nokama handed over Diamond and watched her calm down. "Can you prevent her from being disruptive in class, or do you need to get home?"

"I think I'll be okay. She fell asleep last night right after I fed her, so I think she'll be quiet. No guarantees, though."

"Well, we'll see. I'm sorry I couldn't give you more information on her species."

"Not a problem. We'll just see as she grows."

"I'll be interested to see how you do."

Other matoran were arriving for class, and Shadalaine hurriedly settled down in the back corner. No need to be a bigger nuisance than she had to be, after all.

**Please review! 10th reviewer can request a Bionicle oneshot with pairing, setting and prompt of their choice (excluding slash)**


	4. Adjustments Pt II

**I am so sorry for the delay in posting. Real life intervened. Anyway, here's this chapter up, and I'll try to get another one up tomorrow.**

* * *

Over the next several weeks, Shadalaine adopted some kind of pattern. Mornings were spent in school, popping out between classes to give Diamond a snack. Afternoons were almost the same as when Diamond had not been there; sometimes she wandered the beach, sometimes she played Kohlii with Vhisola, and sometimes she would just stay at home. The only major change was that now she had a hyperactive little rahi to deal with. Diamond insisted on coming everywhere, and the one time Shadalaine had actually managed to leave her home had been a disaster. The matoran had arrived back to find everything shredable in shreds, with a very unhappy young rahi sitting in the middle of the carnage. After that, it was easier to just bring Diamond with.  
"Is it just me, or is that thing bigger?" Vhisola asked a few weeks after Diamond had arrived. "She barely fits in your book bag any more."  
Shadalaine glanced down at the rahi, then picked her up, ignoring unhappy squalls.  
"Definitely bigger," she replied, "Heavier too."  
"How big is she gonna get?"  
"Don't know. Hopefully not the size of a full Muaka. I don't think I could deal with that."  
Two days later, Shadalaine was woken up by unhappy whining. Sitting up, she glanced down at Diamond and groaned softly. The rahi was chewing on her book bag.  
"No," she scolded, scooping Diamond up. She was answered with a louder whine and a bite that made her yelp.  
"What is wrong with you?" she demanded, prying little jaws off her finger. Diamond started to mewl-it sounded eerily like crying-and opened her mouth wider.  
Shadalaine sighed, sitting down. There was obviously something wrong. Diamond, though Vhisola protested otherwise, was not vicious and rarely bit her at all. This was much more than just unusual.  
"Let's get you to Nokama, shall I?"  
"So she just bit you?" her teacher asked, gently examining Diamond's mouth.  
"Yes, when I pulled her away from my book bag."  
Nokama nodded absently, and puller her hands away a few minutes later.  
"She's teething," Nokama explained. "It can be painful sometimes, and from what you said she didn't have any teeth when you found her. From those claws she's obviously a predator, so she'll be doing it earlier than most."  
"What should I do?"  
"There isn't really much you can do," Nokama answered. "The only thing that would really help would be giving her something to chew that's not your fingers. Try some dried meat, maybe. It'll get her accustomed to eating meat as well; she's growing pretty quickly and keeping her on milk will only hurt."  
"Hmm," Shadalaine murmured, petting Diamond's head. "How about Mukau jerky? It's tough and it'll mean that she gets used to rahi, not matoran."  
Nokama paused.  
"I have to ask-do you intend to release her?"  
"I'm not sure."  
"I hope you're ready to keep her. I don't think she'd leave you at this point."  
"What do I do with a rahi?"  
"When she grows up? It depends on how big she gets. If she's the size of a Muaka tiger, then you might have to just give her over to the Archivists. At least then you'll know that she'll be safe. If she's smaller, maybe you can learn how to ride her."  
"Ride a rahi?"  
"Why not? It might be fun."  
Shadalaine stared at Nokama in surprise.  
"I suppose I didn't consider that," she admitted.  
"You should try it when she's bigger."

Three weeks later, Shadalaine had gotten home late. Diamond, by this point, was too big to fit in the book bag, which prevented her from coming to class, and was now locked up at home. The rahi was not happy about this at all, especially when Shadalaine was late feeding her.  
"All right, all right, calm down," Shadalaine told her.  
Diamond stared up at her Matoran mistress for a moment before chirping loudly, a very distinctive and loud chirp.  
"Yes yes, I'm getting your food."  
The same chirp.  
"Here."  
Diamond chirped for a third time and buried her muzzle in the food.  
"At this rate, you'll be growing taller than me soon."  
The rahi licked the remnants of the jerky off her mouth and leapt up onto the bed, curling around herself and falling asleep.

* * *

Diamond did indeed grow. Over the next year she went from small enough to rest in Shadalaine's lap to taller than the matoran was. Now, her shoulder and the top of Shadalaine's head were more or less equal. Luckily, after that, she stopped growing up and filled out a little.  
It was also about that point that two other things happened: 1) the Rahi started catching her own food (mainly fish) and 2) Shadalaine started to ride her.  
This was somewhat easier than she thought it would be.  
Along Diamond's back was a series of spines that continued along up her neck, which was about as long as her feet. There was, however, a gap where her neck and shoulders met just big enough for a matoran to sit. Spines growing out of her shoulders provided places to brace her legs against. A rope that looped just behind her canines served as reins. Having grown up with Shadalaine, the rahi was entirely tame.  
It soon became common to see the two of them trotting along the streets of Ga-metru, or playing in the bay. Diamond's paws were very broad and webbed, and her fur was more or less water-proof, so she swam quite well, and Shadalaine could understand enough of the strange language of chirps, growls and snarls to have a basic understanding of what the rahi wanted.  
And so the years passed, until one day the Dark Hunters came for a visit.

* * *

**Please review! The pairing of your choice story for the tenth reviewer is still on.**


	5. First Meeting

**So, as promised, another chapter. I'll try to get onto a semi-regular schedule, but that may take a while...**

**Anyway, please enjoy!**

* * *

For several centuries, the Dark Hunters had been in contact with Turaga Dume, trying to convince him to allow them to set up a base in Metru Nui. Dume had categorically refused every time. Now, the Dark Hunters were sending an embassy to Metru Nui to attempt to-persuade-the Turaga.  
So now, there were a dozen Ga-matoran warily helping guide a small, sleek, dark ship into the harbor under the eyes of Turaga Dume, a dozen Toa, and what looked like the whole island's complement of matoran.  
"No fair," Vhisola muttered, looking rebellious. "You can see and I can't."  
"You know as well as I do that Diamond doesn't tolerate other riders," Shadalaine replied calmly. She had found that out when a matoran had tried to steal the rahi. Diamond had bucked him off, pinned him down, and yowled until Shadalaine came running. "Even if she did, there's no room for two on her back."  
"Can you at least tell me what's going on?"  
"You could have asked earlier."  
"Shada."  
"Fine. The ship's just pulling in and it's being secured."  
"Anyone coming off it yet?"  
"You need to give them time to let the gangplank down first."  
"Yeah yeah..."  
"Ok, there's someone."  
"Who?"  
"How should I know, Vhisola?" Shadalaine said. "Tall, dark, beautiful, and probably more dangerous than a Muaka."  
"Anyone else?"  
"A pair of brutes that are about twice the size of a Toa. Look like dumb muscle. I don't see anyone else though."  
The female bowed low.  
"I thank you for your hospitality, Turaga Dume. I only hope that our negotiations are-profitable."  
Her voice was low and velvety, and carried to the furthest edges of the crowd.  
Dume dipped his head in acknowledgement.  
"I hope so as well, and I also hope that you will have a comfortable stay here."  
He gestured behind his back to the toa, who took the hint; they began to clear a path through the matoran. Finally, Storm, the Mangaia sonics toa, placed his hand to his throat and boomed out:  
"IF YOU ARE NOT PART OF THE GROUP THAT TURAGA DUME HAS CHOSEN AS AN ESCORT, THEN PLEASE GO BACK TO YOUR HOMES AND JOBS. JUST BECAUSE WE HAVE VISITORS DOESN'T MEAN THAT ALL OF YOU CAN START SLACKING."  
"Let's go," Vhisola said, tugging at Shadalaine's heel. By now she could see the Hunters. "They give me the creeps. Let's go, please."  
"If I try to ride Diamond through this crowd she'll panic and hurt someone. No, I'm going to play it safe and stay right here 'till it calms down a bit."  
"Whatever, I'll catch you later. I'm off."  
Shadalaine waited a few minuted until the matoran in front of her were less densely packed, then nudged Diamond forwards. The Ga-matoran, used to her and the rahi, got out of the way. The other matoran got out of the way as well, though their motivation was more fear-driven; Diamond was bigger than any matoran, and armed with claws and spines. They made rather good time, and Shadalaine wasn't thinking, which was why they very nearly ran into the Dark Hunters and the Turaga.  
Diamond stopped dead, just as they were about to turn into the square. Shadalaine was about to protest before she spotted several toa and gulped.  
"Guess they stopped to see the fountain," Shadalaine muttered, considering her options. She could backtrack, which would take an extra hour, or she could go across the courtyard and probably endure all sorts of probing questions.  
"Plan C it is," she thought, nudging Diamond out into the squaare. They stuck to the sides, more or less out of sight. Naho noticed them and nodded to her. The two water Toa were just as accustomed to the pair as the matoran.  
They were almost at the other side when one of the Dark Hunters, the female, glanced over and remarked, "I didn't think matoran rode predators."  
All attention was immediately on Diamond, who stopped, glancing back at the group. Most of the toa looked just as surprised as the Hunters and Turaga Dume.  
"They normally don't," Lhikan said. "What's your name?"  
"I'm Shadalaine, this is Diamond," the matoran answered, bristling a little at the glares. Diamond swerved around smoothly so that they were face on with the Toa.  
"And how did you manage to form this-unusual partnership?" the female hunter asked.  
"I found her in a canal when she was the size of my palm and raised her."  
"Ah, I see. Now, where are my manners, I haven't introduced myself, even after you did. My name is Lariska, and these are Gatherer and Gladiator."  
Shadalaine bit her lip and dipped her head politely.  
"I apologize if I seem rude, but I do need to get back home soon," she said. "Nice meeting you."  
"Oh, the pleasure was all mine," Lariska purred.  
Diamond promptly wheeled around and all but raced away, Shadalaine hanging on grimly.  
"Did any of you know of her?" Dume asked the Mangaia.  
"I did," Naho replied. "So did Tuyet. We ran into her at one point while the rahi was still tiny and watched the both of them after that. They're an interesting pair."  
"That," Shadalaine later told Diamond, "was one of the most unpleasant experiences I have _ever_ had."  
The rahi whuffed in agreement.

* * *

**Please review! It's awesome to wake up to review in the mailbox!**


	6. The Mask

**So...another chapter. Hopefully this will start my goal of regularly updating every second Saturday.**

* * *

The negotiations failed. Everyone knew; although the Dark Hunters had left peacefully, the war was declared several weeks later.

To most of the matoran, there wasn't much change. True, no ships sailed out or in, and Toa were constantly in the streets, but life went on as usual. However, there was a definite gloom in the air, and no one ventured out by themselves.

Except for Shadalaine. Mounted on Diamond, she could outrun all but the swiftest Dark Hunters, and Diamond was no weaklet. Also, just in case, the matoran had found some claws that Diamond had shed. Using straps of leather, she bound these between her fingers. The claws were still quite sharp, and when she used them the effect was like that of three parallel knives.

Also, Tuyet had knocked on her door one day. The toa of water had asked if Shadalaine was willing to run messages back and forth between the toa. Shadalaine immediately agreed.

It was one such evening that the pair were making their way back to Shadalaine's house. There were scudding clouds in the sky, and the wind was cold, so Diamond was not moving slowly, eager to get back to light and warmth.

They were nearly home, and Shadalaine was just about to cover the lightstone, when a deep, velvety voice spoke up from the nearest shadows, sending ice down her spine.

"Well well, little matoran, I was wondering if I would see you again."

The matoran whirled. Standing behind her, not two feet away, was Lariska, looking even more dangerous than previously.  
_Maybe that's because last time she wasn't holding a knife the size of my arm_, Shadalaine thought.

"Hello, Lariska," Shadalaine said carefully. "Is there something you wanted?"

"Oh, nothing in particular," the dark hunter replied. "I was simply passing through and wished to say hello."

Shadalaine opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again quickly with a snap and nudged Diamond back carefully.

"Don't worry, little one, I won't bite," Lariska said.

Shadalaine shot a glance at the knife the dark huntress was holding. Lariska noticed the look, and lazily shot the blade back into its scabbard on her arm.

"Better?"

"Somewhat," Shadalaine replied. "I'm sorry, but it is late..."

"Of course," Lariska stepped aside, and Diamond hurried on, prompted by a nudge from Shadalaine's knee.  
Lariska stood there for a while, staring after the little matoran.

"If you ever become a toa, then heavens help us all," the huntress murmured, before turning and loping off.

* * *

Five days later, Shadalaine had just dropped off a message at Tuyet's house and was making her way home. They were near the Great Temple when Diamond balked. The little rahi snorted, jerking her head.

"Hey there," Shadalaine whispered. "What's up?"

Diamond make a strange noise, almost a whine, and glanced towards a little alleyway. Then, before Shadalaine could ask anything more, the little rahi nosed a puddle of something dark on the ground.

Shadalaine got off, bending down to look at Diamond's discovery, and straightened up almost immediately.

Blood!

She glanced at Diamond.

"Show me."

Diamond immediately headed down the alleyway, nose pressed to the ground. Less than five minutes later, she stopped and whuffed.

Shadalaine caught up a moment later and gasped.

"Toa Naho!"

The blue and grey toa looked up painfully from where she lay. A deep gash in her side slowly dripped blood into the every-growing puddle on the ground.

"Hello-little one," the toa gasped. "Ahh! I was wondering if someone would find me. I don't-don't want to be alone right now. Not now that I'm passing."

"What?! No! No, you're going to be fine," Shadalaine said, voice trembling. "There has to be something I can do."

Naho glanced up and smiled softly.

"If you truly wish to help, then please get me to the Great Temple. There-there is a task I must do."

After a bit of pushing, and a rather hasty bandage, Shadalaine managed to drape Naho over Diamond's back and get them moving. It wasn't comfortable for any of them; Naho was more than twice as tall as the rahi, so Shadalaine had her shoulders and Diamond her hips, while Naho did her best not to be too hard to carry.

The journey took a much longer time than normal, and Naho's painful breaths made it seem endless, but finally the great arch of the temple loomed up in front of them. From there, the path was straight and rather easy.

Finally, finally, Shadalaine carefully laid the water toa down. Not far away the Suva glowed softly, moonlight falling in through a crack in the roof.

"Now what?" she asked the toa.

Naho smiled up at the matoran.

"You're quite brave, aren't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Toa," Shadalaine replied. "Sorry."

"But I-ahh!-do." Naho reached into her backpack and produced a wrapped package. "Here. Open that for me, will you?"

Puzzled, Shadalaine did as told. When the final layer of wrapping fell off, she gasped; in her hands was a gleaming silver mask.

"What is this?" she asked, frowning at the Kanohi.

"The Mask of Virtues," Naho replied, coughing. "I was sent to get it back from the Dark Hunters. There's a-ah!"

"Shh, Toa, don't talk. You'll only weaken yourself more," Shadalaine told her, setting the mask down and frowning at the amount of blood that had soaked through the bandage.

"No, this I must tell you. There's a prophecy saying that the greatest of the Metru Nui Toa shall wear that mask. Over the years, all Metru Toa, including myself, have tried it, but none have been accepted. The Dark Hunters stole it about a year ago, and I was sent to get it back. It didn't go so well, though," Naho finished, closing her eyes and shuddering.

"What? Toa Naho? Toa Naho!"

The Toa smiled weakly.

"I still have a little life left in me, young one."

Shadalaine looked away, and her eyes fell on the mask. She frowned.

"Wasn't that Kanohi silver before?"

Naho looked over at the now very light grey mask.

"Whenever we saw it it was the color it is now. I-I don't remember it ever being silver."

"It was silver when I was holding it."

Shadalaine reached out and touched the mask. Immediately it began to glow with a soft silvery light.  
Naho almost sat up in surprise.

"That Kanoka never done that before."

"What? Glowed?"

"Reacted to the touch of another." Naho looked at her with interest in her eyes. "Put it on."

"What! No! I'm not a Toa, I can't wear a great mask-"

"It is a legendary mask, and-curse this ah! wound-I order you to put it on."

Shadalaine swallowed hard, looking at the mask.

"Please, Shadalaine." It was the first time Naho had used her name. "Please. Put it on."

That decided her. A toa did not beg. They asked politely yes, but they didn't beg. And if Naho was now...

"Ok," the matoran whispered, picking up the mask. One quick swipe removed her powerless Matatu, and a second movement had the mask on her face.

* * *

**Review, pretty please with extra sprinkles on top!**


	7. And What Happened After

**So, new chapter today. Hope this isn't too lame.**

**Thank you to AllSpark Princess and koryandrs for reviewing earlier chapters.**

* * *

For a heartbeat, nothing happened, and Shadalaine thought that nothing would. Then, the mask burst to life.

Silver light flared out in ever-increasing spirals, wrapping the matoran in a light impossible to see through. One touched Naho's side, easing the pain immediately, then slipped past, twining around Diamond. A pause, then the tendrils split, half remaining around their original location and the others leaping to Diamond who yowled in shock.

The light grew taller, wider, and brighter, whipping around in an ever-hastening spiral until it flashed once so brightly that Naho was forced to close her eyes.

Shadalaine collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath. She wasn't entirely sure what had just happened; there were just sensations of power licking along the seams of her armor and light flaring constantly around her, then one bright flash and nothing. Her strength seemed to have failed her as well, which was why she was on her knees.

"I knew it," Naho said softly.

"Knew what?" Her hearing was off; her voice was deeper, smoother.

Naho snorted. "Take a look at yourself."

Shadalaine glanced down at her arms and all but screamed in shock.

Only moments before they had been short and stocky. Now they were long and slender, far longer in comparison to her torso-which, now that she looked down, had grown as well. Her legs had changed the most; now they made up a little more than half of her height. Silvery armor covered almost her entire body, and seemed to shine with its own internal light.

"I'm a toa," she whispered, stunned.

"That you are," Naho confirmed. "As I thought."

"You knew this would happen?"

"I hoped," the toa of water corrected, sitting up carefully. "You had the traits of becoming a truly great toa. I simply wished to see if Mata Nui agreed."

"You're not bleeding anymore!" Shadalaine exclaimed.

Naho choked out a laugh.

"It's far too late, little sister," she said. "I've lost far too much."

"But-"

"Listen to me, I don't have much time left. When you leave, you can't go to the other toa."

"What? Why?"

"Because," Naho snapped. "That mission I went on was top secret. Only my team and Turaga Dume knew of it. However, I walked straight into an ambush on the island. They knew I was there and were waiting. There's a leak somewhere, and I refuse to allow whoever it is to kill you."

"But why would they kill me?"

Naho smiled. "Still so trusting. You're wearing the Mask of Virtues. That's a legendary mask, Shadalaine. The moment you step out into the sunlight, you're going to be a target for every single being who knows about it."

"Oh." Shadalaine sat back. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

"How well do you know the Ga-metru shoreline?"

"Very well. Why?"

Naho nodded, closing her eyes. "Do you know the rock formation right against the cliffs opposite this Temple? It looks like a closed fist sticking up out of the ground."

Shadalaine nodded.

"Go there. The rocks ring around a small clearing and it's accessible if you can climb over the rocks. There's a shallow cave in the back. In the back of the cave there's a small dimple in the wall, round and about as big as my hand. If you place your hand in there, a door will slide back. There's a stairway that leads straight into my house. You can remain together until you are ready."

"But-but-"

"NO arguing. It'll be left empty after my death anyway."

"Why?"

"Toa tradition. Unless I specifically leave the house to someone it's bad luck to live in it. I'm leaving it to you but the others won't know that so they won't go in."

Naho gasped, shuddering. Shadalaine scrambled up and hurried over, nearly tripping on Naho in the process. The older toa chuckled.

"A little strange trying to get the hang of all that height, isn't it?"

Shadalaine smiled in spite of her fear.

"A little."

"Now." Naho gave her a dry look. "I'm very sorry, but your name is extremely recognizable. I don't think I've ever heard of another name even remotely like it. I would suggest changing it."

"But won't I be in hiding anyway?"

"What, forever?" Naho shook her head. "You don't have to change it drastically. I-"

She paused, glancing up and down.

"Were you aware that you're glowing?"

Startled, Shadalaine looked down. It was now fully dark in the temple, but not by them; her armor was glowing a soft silver.

"Like a star in the middle of the shadows," Naho remarked drily. "In fact, now that I think of it, 'laine' means 'star' in an old matoran dialect. You could call yourself Star."

"How about Shadowstar instead? It sounds a little more familiar."

"Shadowstar it is, then," Naho murmured. "You need to go. The other toa are probably looking for me by now, I was due to return two days ago."

The newly named Shadowstar nodded and got to her feet, then yelped in pain.

"What's wrong?" Naho asked, glancing up.

"Something poked me in the leg!"

"Did you sit on your sword, maybe?" Naho asked drily.

"No, it was on top, when I was pressing my fists on my thighs to get up-holy slag!"

"What?" Naho demanded. Shadowstar held up her hand in mute reply. She appeared to now have eight fingers. Naho frowned.

"How on earth did you manage to shapeshift? You don't have the mask for it, and only Makuta are natural shapeshifters."

"I didn't," Shadowstar replied. "Those are claws. And I pressed them out from my hand, I didn't shapeshift them or anything. I think they're supposed to be there."

"Part of your toa form, you mean? I've never heard of anything like that."

Shadowstar bit her lip for a minute before her eyes lit up.

"I know! I made myself a kind of claws out of some ones that Diamond shed when I started running messages. When I, um, changed, the mask must have made them-well-permanent."

Naho blinked in surprise.

"Not something I've ever heard of before, but then again, I've never had any experience with legendary masks transforming Matoran. Just Toa Stones."

"How come I didn't need a Toa Stone, anyway?" Shadowstar asked. "I didn't think masks could just make you become a toa."

"Only legendary ones can, at least according to Toa myth. This is the first Legendary mask I've actually ever seen, so I suppose that it at least works like the myths."

"Wonder if it did anything else weird," Shadowstar mused, then gasped. "Oh no! Diamond!"

"Your little rahi?" Naho frowned. "I don't think you can keep her. There's no way you can ride her now, and Toa transformations affect matoran, not..."

Her words trailed off as she spotted the very large shape that lay where Diamond had previously. On cue, the shape shifted, and as Shadowstar approached resolved itself into the form of a rather large rahi lying on its side with its stomach towards Naho. It was long, with close sleek fur, and massive paws. Its head was at the end of a long neck, and was roughly wedge-shaped. The tail started thin but ended in a nasty-looking barb. At Shadowstar's approach the head rose, and a tall crest that had been lying flat against its neck rose.

"Diamond," Shadalaine called softly. "Diamond."

"The crest slowly came down and the rahi gave an achingly familiar whuff.

"You're a lot bigger than I am now," Shadowstar told her pet, kneeling down to take Diamond's head onto her lap.

"Go," Naho said suddenly. "Hurry! I hear voices!"

She was right. From below floated the very distinctive voices of Nidhiki and Lhikan.

"But-" Shadowstar was clearly torn. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine, they'll be here in a few minutes," Naho told her. "There's a back entrance and a path that leads down to the shoreline that way. Take Diamond and go."

Shadowstar nodded and was about to leave when Naho's laughter stopped her.

"Are you really going to forget your weapons, little sister?"

Shadowstar turned, surprised. Naho nodded to the suva where, unnoticed, there was the bright gleam of metal.

"All toa recieve some form of armament from Mata Nui when they are changed."

Shadowstar ran over to the suva, noticing that her legs were already steadier, and grabbed up the objects from the floor, only glancing down long enough to avoid cutting her hand open on the blade of a sword, then turned and ran. Diamond scrambled to her feet and managed to follow without tripping. They darted out of the temple just in time; behind them Lhikan's voice was clear and worried.

"C'mon, c'mon," Shadowstar muttered, scrambling down the steep incline to the shore. Diamond slithered down behind, falling in a heap.

They hurried around the temple and across the great arch of beach. There was no moon, and the night was cloudy, but Shadowstar's armor was still glowing brightly enough to be spotted, and she knew quite well that at any moment there might be a pursuit.

Finally the clump of rocks loomed up, looking very much like five fingers curled into a fist.

"C'mon, Diamond," Shadowstar whispered. "Just a little longer. We just need to get into there."

The rahi whined, but reared, placing forepaws on the rocks and leaping over. Shadowstar swallowed hard and followed, scrambling up over the rocks and dropping onto a clear patch of sand. Diamond took up most of the room in the little opening, but there was still enough room for Shadowstar to flop down onto her stomach and put down the bundle of weapons that she had been carrying.

"Good night, Diamond," she managed, closing her eyes as sudden exhaustion caught hold. Diamond snorted, curling up around the matoran turned toa and following her into the realm of sleep.

* * *

**Please review!**


End file.
